School Daze
by Helena Mira
Summary: The transition from summer to school year leaves several of the Everetts caught in the middle. THe Professor falls prey to a state of inertia in his quest for the perfect ring and moment to put it on Nanny's hand


_The new school year begins and the transition is particularly difficult for Butch and Trelawney. Nanny and the Professor begin to make a transition of their own._

_I do not own these characters and make no profit from them._

**School Daze**

**Prologue **

_"_Goodnight, you all," said Nanny, as the four children stood before her and the Professor in the living room, after they had kissed them each good night. "Sleep well, you have a big day tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Nanny, Dad," said Hal, almost as an after thought, on the way out of the room, he added seriously, "Don't stay up too late!"

The Professor grimaced. "Off to bed you rascal. We'll stay up as late as we want."

Nanny was amused. "He makes me feel like I'm his daughter sometimes."

"In what way?" he asked.

"Sometimes his comments are like those of a father who does not entirely approve of his daughter's young man, but is afraid to say so," she replied.

"That's odd," said the Professor. "He keeps riding me about getting a ring on your finger."

"Maybe that's why," suggested Nanny. "Maybe he wants you to make an honest woman of me."

"I have never met a woman more honest," he answered. "However, that is not going to stop me from kissing you after they are all in bed."

She smiled knowingly. "I believe that he approves of the kissing. It's some of our other activities, real or imagined, that he is worried about."

Taking her in his arms, he said, "Well, my thirteen year old son is not going to dictate my behavior with the woman I love. And I have nothing along those lines to answer for anyway."

"No, you don't," she said wistfully. "But it's not for lack of trying on my part."

"Well, we are certainly are not going to tell him that," replied Hal emphatically. "He might not recover from the shock."

But Nanny was done talking. Looking up expectantly at him, Hal took her cue and bent his head down to kiss her. It didn't take them long to forget about Hal's disapproval.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Chapter 1: School is Back in Session**

The next morning, when the Professor went downstairs to the kitchen, he found Nanny already at work organizing the children for their first day of school. Once again there were lunches to be made, book bags to be packed, breakfasts eaten, and busses made. This year, Trelawney would be joining Hal on the earlier middle school bus. This would not be a problem, since of the four children she was the most organized. Butch and Prudence took the later elementary school bus. Prudence was brimming with enthusiasm for her first day, looking forward to telling her classmates about her exciting summer vacation. Butch, as usual was dragging along. Never a great student, he was going to miss his summer days playing out on the baseball field.

By the time the Professor arrived he was a bit perturbed to discover that all four children were eating something different and Nanny, in addition to making lunches, was playing short order cook. He decided that this was going to change. These kids were all getting much too spoiled. Fortunately, he had no morning classes that day and although he could not spend the whole morning at home, perhaps he could at least stay for a bit after the children left. After he had to settle for a brief, perfunctory kiss as she hustling the older two out the door, he decided that he would definitely stay a little longer than usual.

After the two younger children were finally chased out the door and were on their bus, she took a deep breath and sat down beside him at the table. Unable to resist, he leaned over and gave her a kiss. She smiled.

"Are you taking liberties with the help, Professor?"

He grinned and said, "Every chance I get. I don't hear you complaining."

She shook her head as if he were a small boy being naughty and stood up to start cleaning up. But he wasn't going to let her get away so quickly. Grabbing her around the waist he pulled her down on his lap for one of those long slow kisses that they had come to enjoy so much. Not for the first time she found herself clinging to him. After indulging him with a kiss that left her a little lightheaded, she got up and began bustling around the kitchen, trying to cover her emotions with light chatter. He wasn't fooled, yet to make her feel better he finished his breakfast, occasionally commenting on what she said.

Finally he got up and said, "I guess that I have to get ready to go to school myself."

"Don't worry, Hal," she said. "I have plenty to occupy myself with today and when the children get home there's sure to be lots of activity."

Then with a twinkle in her eye, she added, "I won't miss you TOO much."

As he went upstairs, he thought warmly of the past few days together. After the big church service project had been completed, the family had had a little down time together. They had just come through a tough patch together. Pastor Jason, the pastor of the local Presbyterian Church, to which they did not belong, had befriended them all throughout the course of project. While the humble young man had done his best to minimize his own role in helping Phoebe and Trelawney overcome their greatest fears, he had admitted,

"It was a long day's journey into night for both of them, to borrow a thought from Eugene O'Neil, but ultimately they made that journey back towards the light. I helped to guide them, but ultimately it was a journey that each had to make for herself."

"Well, Jason," he recalled saying. "All I want to do is thank you for helping to bring Phoebe back to me, to all of us."

"Professor," said Pastor Jason seriously. "Please remember that just because they've come back into the light, it doesn't mean that there won't be little 'sadnesses' hidden along the way. It is still less than a year since they lost their parents, as you know well, quite tragically. Try to be alert for those little 'pockets of grief.'"

Seeing that Hal had begun to look serious again, he took a risk and said, "And make up your mind once and for all, and get her that ring!"

Hal had growled at his cheeky grin, but his conscience was stung. He began to realize that it wasn't only the Catholics who had the market on guilt.

When he was ready to leave, she followed him to the front door and before he opened it, kissed him goodbye. He put his arms around her for one last hug before he left. Walking out to the car, he realized that she was more like his wife all time. As he was thinking that, she leaned back on the door and thought about how much he felt like her husband. Watching the car pull out, she perceived his thoughts and her mouth curved into a smile. Remembering the earlier warmth of his arms surrounding her, she began to hum to herself as she went upstairs to make the beds.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

The children's return home from school was less hectic than the morning because Hal and Trelawney came home first and were able to share the highlights of their day without the interruption of the younger children. Hal was excited about his eighth grade math and science classes.

"Nanny, this new teacher Mr. Oliver is amazing! He just finished his degree at MIT and decided to take a year off to teach while he decided what he wants to do with his life."

"And now he's your teacher? Isn't that lucky!" she said.

"You bet! He's only teaching the honors students in Physics and Advanced Algebra. He was asking me about the summer science program that I was in," he said proudly. "He wants to form a science Olympiad team!"

"Physics?" said Trelawney. "I hope that means that you'll stop trying to blow the house up. You'll be too busy for chemistry."

"Nanny, will you tell her to stop being so immature?" said Hal.

"Trelawney, stop being immature. But Hal, you will have less time to blow things up, won't you?" asked Nanny hopefully. Hal's explosions were notoriously smelly.

"Well," said Trelawney cheerfully. "Nobody's going to try and put me in an honors science class. But the French teacher doesn't want me in her class, Phoebe."

"What did you do to cause that?" asked Nanny knowingly.

Trelawney looked sheepish, "Well, I may have been correcting her pronunciation a wee bit."

"The way Ernie Jackson tells it, you began speaking French to her so fast, she couldn't understand you," corrected Hal.

"Well it's not my fault that she's never spoken French outside of a schoolroom!" Trelawney defended herself.

"And you have? I don't recall that you've ever visited France," commented Nanny.

"I didn't need to," replied Trelawney. "Every Wednesday afternoon we had 'Ici on parle francais' when we would visit Mme. Beaulieu for espresso and we were only allowed to speak French."

Hal was amused. "We all know how you can't stand to be quiet for any length of time. I bet you learned how to speak real fast."

"As a matter of fact, I did," said Trelawney with a huff. "But it is a problem. The guidance counselor wants to see you tomorrow about my schedule, Phoebe."

"Already?" she groaned. "You could have at least given me a week before I had to make a trip to the school."

"I'm an overachiever, what can I say?" said Trelawney.

Nanny shook her head and gave her blonde ponytail a tug. She was glad that her sister was so happy. Working with her friends at the nursing home to put the Fleming's home in order after they were threatened with eviction had done her a world of good. What had her new friend Lois said? "Save the world, save myself" was it? It was exactly what the child needed. And having the opportunity to spend time with Pastor Jason had helped resolve the more serious issues. If they could sustain the new balance in her life then perhaps she could stay with them permanently.

Suddenly there was a loud clattering in the front hall as Butch and Prudence came in.

"Nanny! Nanny!" cried Prudence. "I just had the best day ever!"

"Did you, sweetheart?" she said as the little girl jumped in her arms. "Tell us all about it."

"Hi, Trelawney. Hi, Hal." she said as an after-thought. "Do you know that Dick and Jane have WORDS this year? And I can already read some of them!"

"Wow, Prudence," said Trelawney. "We'll have you reading Shakespeare before you know it!"

Prudence wrinkled her nose, "Yuck, too many big words. And it doesn't make any sense."

Nanny turned to Butch, "And how was your day?"

"Groovy," said Butch.

"Oh no!" said Hal. "You're not going to start that again."

"Swell, don't be a drag, Hal," his brother said and grabbing a handful if cookies left the kitchen.

Trelawney was puzzled. "What's all that foolishness about? He sounds like a hippie or something."

"He thinks he's COOL," said Prudence. "He learned all stuff from Jay Hayslip before you came."

"Well, we'll have no talking behind one another's backs, you lot," said Nanny. "Now finish up your snacks and if you have any homework get started. Your father is going to want to hear all about your days at dinner tonight."

"I bet he'd rather hear about her day," said Trelawney in a low voice to Hal.

Nanny pretended not to notice and Hal wished he could ignore it, but he was really starting to get embarrassed every time Trelawney teased her sister about her relationship with his Dad. They were much more open in their displays of affection these days to the amusement of the girls and the disgust of Butch. He still didn't know how he felt about it. Whenever he saw his father grab Nanny around the waist for a kiss or surprise her by putting his arms around her from behind, it made him think of his own mother. It felt odd seeing him act the same way with another woman, even if it was Nanny and she loved all of them, not just his Dad.

He knew that they often stayed up late together after all the kids went to bed. He also knew that they had to be doing more than talking. Anyone with two eyes could see how much they loved each other and the way the guys talked in school, he knew what men and women did together when they were in love. But the thought of his Dad and Nanny together like that made him queasy. He wished that he could be like Butch and Prudence and just not know about that stuff. Trelawney knew, but it obviously didn't bother her. She tried to talk with him about it once.

"Hal, I know that it bothers you sometimes when you see them together and they're so close, but it's the most natural thing in the world. They love each other so much. Sooner or later your Dad's going to get around to asking her to marry him, they'll tie the knot, and get down to the business of making babies," she had said practically.

"But, how do you know that, well, THAT isn't happening now?" he asked.

She had acquired a wise look in her eyes, "Oh, I know alright. Your Dad wants everything done right and proper. He doesn't want anyone doing the math and coming up short when the first little bugger comes along."

Hal looked even more troubled, "But how can you be so sure?"

"Hal," she said seriously. "I promise I'll stop joking because I can see that you're really worried about this. I know my sister, very well, in fact. She loves your father to pieces and, yes, she wants to have his baby. But she knows how things should be. It's only right and natural that two people in love, who plan to get married, want to have children together. That's part of why they get married."

Hal guessed that he understood that, but it still troubled him. He was glad to go off to his room and think about the velocity of moon rockets.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

When the Professor got home, he immediate sought out Nanny. Seeing her alone in the kitchen, he took her in arms and kissed her.

"I've missed you," he said.

"Me too," she answered pulling away to get back to her work. "How was your day?"

Sitting down at the table, he grabbed a cookie and relaxed. Once again he thought about how nice it was to come home to her.

"The usual, no big surprises in my classes. So how did the kids do in school today?" he asked.

"Let's see, I would say we're batting .500 as you would say in baseball. Hal is thrilled with his groovy new science teacher and Prudence has discovered that Dick and Jane have words. Trelawney is about to be tossed out of French class for speaking French better than her teacher, and Butch has decided to become hip again," she recounted.

"Well, I'm glad about Hal and Prudence, Trelawney should take Spanish, and I guess that I'll have a talk with Butch," he said.

"I have to go to school tomorrow to see Trelawney's guidance counselor about her schedule, so it would be nice if you could manage Butch," she replied.

"Wanna trade?" he asked hopefully.

"I'd be tempted, but you have an important meeting tomorrow," she said.

"I didn't . . . Oh, never mind. It's not worth it," he sighed.

"Is this worth it?" she asked playfully, as she leaned over his shoulder offering him a kiss. She quickly kissed him and said,

"Oh, dear!"

The Professor rolled his eyes and angry voices were heard coming from the living room. They both hurried in to find Butch and Hal at loggerheads over something. That was nothing unusual, but Butch had decided to push his brother's buttons by adopting his "Joe Cool" persona. Hal would have preferred a good old-fashioned argument, which he could always count on from Trelawney.

As Hal stood there seething in anger, Butch was lounging against the TV saying, "Don't lose your cool."

Nanny noticed Prudence cowering in the corner. When the little girl realized that she was in the room, she flew over and buried her face in her apron.

"There, there," she said soothingly. "Why don't you come help me with dinner? Your father can sort out Hal and Butch."

After Nanny and Prudence left, the Professor took a quick survey of the room. Butch's "pitching target" had been set up. The little trash basket had several wads of paper in it, but he could also see a few around the chair where Hal was sitting. It appeared that Hal had started his homework and Butch had been practicing his wind up. Unfortunately, it looked as though some of his wild pitches, a few of which may have been intentional, had strayed in his brother's direction. However, this was a problem that was easy to solve.

"Hal," he said. "If you want peace and quiet for your homework, go up to your room. The living room is, after all, public space."

"But, Dad . . ." started Hal.

"And Butch, you should not be hurling paper wads at your brother," he interrupted.

"Oh brother!" said Hal, as he grabbed his books.

"Don't be a drag, Dad," replied Butch. "Hal's just losing his cool over nothing."

"Okay, Butch, out with it," said Hal after his older son went upstairs. "What happened in school today?"

"Nothing," he said.

"Well, in my experience nothing usually means something, and the more nothing it is, the more something it is," replied Hal.

"Don't be a drag, Dad. Now you're starting to sound like Trelawney."

Hal did his best to hold his temper. He knew that if he lost it, then Phoebe would be left trying to figure the whole thing out. She was already stuck with Trelawney and he didn't think it was fair to leave her with two head cases to deal with. He decided to change his approach.

"So who is your teacher this year?" he asked.

"Some lady named Mrs. Oliver. She's new but she thinks she's cool just because she went to college in Boston," said Butch in his best, bored tone of voice.

"Well, at least it's not one of Hal's old teachers," he offered.

"Yeah, right. She's making me sit in the front of the room because Mrs. Clement told her I was a troublemaker," his son answered.

"Oh? And how do you know that?" asked Hal curiously.

"Martin Pulski overheard them talking. He has to sit in the front of the room too, on the other side," answered his son. "Why do I have to go to Franklin anyway? Why can't I go to St. Peters with Tim?"

Hal laughed out loud.

"Butch," he explained. "I know that Tim has become a very good friend, but first of all we're not Catholic and second of all if you think that Mrs. Oliver is giving you a hard time, you wouldn't last ten minutes with the nuns."

Butch got an interesting look on his face.

"Not the way Tim tells it," he replied.

"And how does Tim tell it?" asked Hal.

"No way, man," replied Butch. "If I tell you, you'll tell Mrs. Lenihan. No way am I going to rat out my best friend."

Hal was more than curious now, but decided to let it go. However, if Butch was going to start acting out again, the discipline of Catholic school might be good for him. He was sure that Phoebe would disagree. Butch's behavioral issues needed to be dealt with head on and not handed over to some nun who might beat him into submission, despite the fact that on occasion his father had contemplated that approach.

"How much homework do you have?" he asked.

"Not much, said Butch. "Well, maybe a lot. I have to write a composition about what I did on my summer vacation and I have a lot to say."

"Well then why don't you get started? Can I trust you to go upstairs and work in your room without making Hal blow his cool?" he asked.

"Sure, Dad," said Butch with a grin that made Hal wary.

Hopefully it would be all, quiet on the western front until dinner. He had work of his own to do and he was hoping to get in done early so that he could spend some quality time with his best girl.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

As it turned out, Hal's really groovy science and math teacher was married to Butch's less than groovy fourth grade teacher. When they went to church on Sunday, they were there together. During coffee hour after the service, Hal approached with Mr. Oliver and introduced them.

"Dad, this is Mr. Oliver. Mr. Oliver, this is my Dad, Professor Everett," he said politely.

"Dennis Oliver," said the young man.

"Hal Everett," replied Hal.

"Like father like son in more ways than one, I see," said Dennis. "You know my wife Bonnie has your son Butch in her class at Franklin."

"We figured that out at home, or rather Nanny did," replied Hal. "My condolences to your wife."

"So far, I understand that he hasn't been a problem at all," replied Dennis.

"Are we talking about the same Butch Everett who was called 'hell on wheels' last year by his third grade teacher, after he used a stink bomb to make his volcano blow up?" asked Hal in surprise.

"Blow up is the right word for it," said his brother. "I warned him that if he put it all the way down in the bottom, that there would be clay all over the place."

"Well, that was your second mistake," said his father. "Old Butch understood that to be a challenge, not a warning."

"What was his first mistake?" asked Dennis curiously.

"Giving him the stink bomb in the first place. It was not a pretty picture in the Everett home that night," explained Hal.

"Well, maybe I'll just leave you two to talk," said the younger Hal uncomfortably.

"So then," said Dennis, after Hal had made his tactical retreat. "Where is Nanny? Both Bonnie and I have heard a lot about her from the other teachers."

Hal looked concerned.

"All of it good, mind you," he added quickly. "In fact, she seems too good to be true."

Hal looked relieved and then smiled.

"She's over there talking to that young woman," he answered, indicating the pair off to the side by the coffee pot.

"Well, it looks like Bonnie found her," he said.

"Your wife was looking for her already?" asked Hal anxiously.

"Not about Butch. She had heard that Nanny had several friends at one of the local nursing homes. Bonnie and I are interested in becoming involved in church ministry. I've already talked to Pastor Paul about starting a youth group for the teens. When we were going to school in Boston, Bonnie did some work in the nursing homes," he answered. "Pastor Paul told us that Nanny was the person to speak with about starting a similar ministry here."

"Well, she would be the one," agreed Hal. "Why don't you come over and meet her?"

As they approached, Bonnie waved and called out to her husband, "Denny, come over here and meet Nanny."

"Don't mind my wife," muttered Dennis to Hal. "She can get a little enthusiastic at times."

"How do you do, Nanny?" asked Dennis. "Bonnie, this is Professor Everett."

"How do you do, Professor," she said. "Denny, Nanny was just telling me about the residents at the Montclaire nursing home and how they were so involved in the big community project that everyone told us about."

"Involved?" said the Professor. "They ran the thing. You've never met a feistier gang of senior citizens than those four."

"Professor . . ." said Nanny.

"Well, you must agree that they did run the show, so to speak," he said.

"Well," said Bonnie, "It's sounds like a little girl, Trelawney, did they say? Did that. But it was the seniors that ran the work project. I heard that Trelawney went to this church, I'd love to meet her."

"I'd be happy to introduce you," said Nanny, with a touch of pride. "She's my younger sister."

"That would be fabulous!" said Bonnie beaming.

"Professor, I think that it's time to gather the children to go home," said Nanny, sensing that the young woman was about to get too personal.

"Sounds good to me!" he replied. "I have a stack of paperwork on my desk to take care of."

As the Professor took off to round up the kids, Nanny looked after him fondly.

"So then it's true," said Bonnie.

"Bonnie . . ." said Dennis.

"Come on, Denny. Sorry Nanny, I hope I don't embarrass you, but rumor has it that you and the Professor are . . ."

"Bonnie . . ." repeated Dennis as he noticed Nanny turning pink.

"That's alright Mrs. Oliver," said Nanny. "Rather than relying on rumor, I will tell you that the Professor and I have an understanding."

"But no ring yet," she said. "I see."

"I would prefer that you not mention that to him," replied Nanny. "It's a bit of a sore point with him. He is . . . uh . . . on a quest for the perfect ring, shall we say."

"Good thing you're a patient woman," commented Dennis. "Bonnie didn't give me time to look for the perfect ring. In fact she was the one who proposed to me."

Bonnie rolled her eyes, "Well if I had waited for you . . ."

But she didn't get to finish because the Professor walked with the kids. "Ready to go, Nanny?"

"Oh yes. And I believe that all you children have homework to start," she added.

"Hello, Butch!" said Bonnie cheerfully.

"Hello, Mrs. Oliver," said Butch looking at the ground.

"And these are Hal, Prudence and Trelawney," said Nanny.

"How do you do?" said Trelawney, politely extending her hand.

"What lovely manners!" replied Bonnie. "I have heard so much about you!"

"And you still wanted to meet her?" mumbled Hal, earning him a dirty look from his father.

Before things had a chance to escalate into a family battle, Nanny shooed them off to car. After they were gone, Pastor Paul came up to the Olivers and said, "So I see that you got to meet the Everetts."

"Oh, yes!" gushed Bonnie. "What a fabulous family"

"I would agree with that," said Pastor Paul with a smile. "They've become one of our most active families since Nanny joined them."

"Yes," said Bonnie. "And I understand that she'll be their mother soon."

Pastor Paul looked uncomfortable. "Well, that is gossip. It's been kind of a running joke that the Professor has yet to officially propose."

"Nanny said that he was looking for the perfect ring," commented Bonnie.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I believe that that is the sticking point right now," said Pastor Paul. "But I really do prefer to stay out of my parishioners' private lives. I must go see what my wife wants."

Pastor Paul escaped and Dennis turned to his wife, "Bonnie, I'm warning you. Nanny will not thank you for getting mixed up in her business."

"She will, if she finally gets her ring."

"I very much doubt that, now it's time that we got back home. I have a stack of labs to grade." he replied.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

By Tuesday of the following week, the first blush of excitement had worn off the new school year. Hal had discovered that despite being a really groovy guy, Mr. Oliver had very high expectations of his students. He now had mountains of math and science homework to do each night. Prudence discovered that first grade was not nearly as much fun as kindergarten. It was more work and less play. Butch remained distant and for some reason was very reticent on the topic of his new teacher, with no comments good or bed. However, Trelawney had emerged as the big problem.

When she had entered the sixth grade, she had been purposely placed in the same class as their next-door neighbor, Francine Fowler. However, the middle school guidance office refused to do this, despite several calls from Mrs. Tracy, the guidance counselor, and Mrs. Harper, the principal, of elementary school. The feeling of her new guidance counselor was that she needed to "cut the apron strings," as he put it, with Francine. Trelawney had been all right for the first week, but by the second week was withdrawing again.

Not having any success with the school, Phoebe went to her next best source of information, Francine.

"Trelawney is being terribly brave about not being in all the same classes with me, Nanny," explained Francine with a hint of drama. "We do have math and science together and those are the hardest. She's just devastated about English class."

"But she loves English class," said Nanny.

"We're reading 'Little Women' and every time they have to talk about Marmee she thinks of an excuse to leave the room. Her teacher got very mad today and yelled at her in front of the whole class," said Francine.

Nanny looked very worried.

"Sarah Tucker is in her class and she said that Trelawney was so upset she was afraid that she was going to cry," added Francine. "She tried to talk to the teacher about it after class, but the teacher told her to mind her own business."

"Francine, do you know how to get in touch with Sarah?" asked Nanny.

"No, but I'm sure that Pastor Jason does. She's Topher's sister you know," she replied.

"Actually, I had forgotten that until just now. Thank you so much for all of your help, Francine," said Nanny. "I don't know what we would do without you."

"I love Trelawney," said Francine. "She's my best friend in the whole world, but please don't say that. You sound just like Mother."

"I'll try to remember that," said Nanny with a smile.

Phoebe was lost in thought, when Hal came home. Seeing her at work in the kitchen, he put his arms around her from behind, and said, "How's my best girl?"

When he didn't get his usual enthusiastic response, he turned her around so she could rest her head on his shoulder and said, "Which one is it?"

"Trelawney."

"Well, that was my second guess. She has been looking like a sad little soul the past couple of days. Do you know what the problem is?" he asked gently.

"They are reading 'Little Women' in school," she answered.

"I can see why that would be hard," said Hal. "But it sounds like it's more than that."

"What makes you say that?" asked Phoebe.

"Well, she's a pretty resilient kid," said Hal. "Reading that book might make her sad, but it would take more than that to throw her into a funk like the one she's in now."

Phoebe sighed. "Apparently, the teacher is being less than understanding. Francine told me that she got yelled at because she leaves the room every time they talk about Marmee."

"Well, that kind of makes sense," said Hal. "Why doesn't she try to explain her situation to the teacher?"

"Well, from what Francine tells me it doesn't sound like this is a listening teacher. Topher's sister Sarah is in the same class and she tried to talk to her about it, but the teacher refused to listen," she replied.

"Phoebe, I think that this one is a bit more than you can handle. Why don't I go to the school to try and talk to her. I am her legal guardian and have all the rights of a parent," he said.

"Do you think that you can hold your temper this time?" she asked anxiously, remembering an incident from last year.

"I can control my temper!" said Hal defensively, and then added sheepishly, "When I remember to."

Phoebe looked at him closely and realized that he would try. She had also not been looking forward to a conversation with an unsympathetic teacher about a recently orphaned girl who was having difficulty reading a book that was so family-centered. She wasn't sure of how she would react if she were forced to read that book right now. Looking back at Hal she could see that he knew exactly what she was thinking.

"Would you do that, Hal?" she asked. "I really think that I would find it very . . . difficult."

"Of course," he said and gave her a kiss on the forehead. Usually this would have produced a request for more passionate kisses, but Phoebe just buried her head in his shoulder. Hal knew that the topic of the book was just as painful for her as it was for her sister.

In a moment however, she looked up, "Who was your first guess?"

"Butch," replied Hal. "He's been walking around here for the past couple of days as if he was going to explode."

Phoebe sighed. "I know. It seems like if it's not one than it's another."

Hal smiled. "And you want to add more to the mix?"

Phoebe smiled softly, "As soon as you say the word."

Hal bent down and got the kiss that he wanted. He looked down at her left hand resting on his shoulder and smiled, thinking "someday."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Chapter 2: Caught in the Middle**

Organizationally, middle schools are very different from elementary schools. In an elementary school, each child has a self-contained homeroom class for the basic subjects, only going to other teachers for "specials" such as art, music, and gym. Thus teacher has only twenty to thirty little personalities to deal with. Middle schools are more like high schools, where the children have a homeroom teacher for a brief part of the day but go to different teachers for other subjects. Thus the teachers have a larger student load, even if they don't have as many subjects to teach.

Hal's teacher, Mr. Oliver, had a unique situation. With the present push in math and science education in the country, every effort was being made to seek out those student with the greatest potential and give them special attention to groom them as the scientists of the future. Part of the same grant money that had funded Hal's summer program was also being used to recruit enthusiastic young scientists like Dennis Oliver to spark the interest of the next generation. His honors classes not only had a smaller number of students overall, but he taught them both math and science. Hal was even lucky enough to have him as a homeroom teacher.

Coming right out of MIT as he was, Mr. Oliver was really piling too much work on the kids. They, however, didn't mind it because he took a personal interest in each one and that made them feel good about themselves. Hal would be greatly challenged this year, but would certainly thrive. He was the ideal candidate for this program. He came in with a natural interest that Mr. Oliver would nurture and cultivate, setting the table for Hal to become one of the great scientific minds of the ever closely approaching twenty-first century.

Trelawney's English teacher, Mrs. Fountain was not so lucky. She had the challenge of teaching over one hundred and twenty seventh graders in five classes. She had been teaching for over twenty-five years and had seen many changes. The present emphasis on math and science had had effects on the other classes. Often the students with the best organizational skills and finest minds were selected out and, by virtue of their strengths in math and science, ended up in the same classes for other subjects. She had not been the recipient this school year of that largesse and was presently faced with "the rest."

Because her classes were relatively large, she had no time to develop any personal understanding of her students who, for the most part, were typical seventh graders. Each day they walked into the classroom was a new adventure. Most of them were completely disorganized and "cheerfully disobedient," as the head of guidance, Mr. Preston, put it. Still eager to learn, they frequently called out in class rather than raising their hands and even when they did, said the first thing that came into their hands without consideration. Since Mr. Preston didn't have to teach the kids in an academic class, he referred to the phenomena as, "in the head and out the mouth."

When asked about some foolishness that he or she had just spewed forth, the child would usually say, "Huh?" since he or she didn't even remember what was just said. It was a similar problem with such annoyances as pencil tapping and other forms of fidgeting. With excess energy and nothing physically active to do with it as they sat in forty-minute classes with teachers trying to accomplish something. They were a challenge for even the most seasoned teacher.

Mrs. Fountain was feeling resentment over her luck of the draw with regard to her classes and when she started the year was ready to pounce on any behavior that smacked of disrespect. Trelawney was in her fourth period class right before lunch and that in and of itself made the kids restless. The only period worse to teach was the last one of the day.

The mix of personalities in the class was also difficult. There were a number of "little" boys, whose oversized feet dangled above the floor when they sat down. In her earlier teaching days, when the bloom was still on the rose, she had affectionately referred to them as "puppies." They were all enthusiasm and no judgment as they hurtled through life. When asked by a parent concerned about the impulsive behavior, she would often reply, "Give him time to grow a few more inches and he'll be fine." She was rarely wrong, in fact it was one of her great pleasures to attend the high school graduation each year to see how these "puppies" had grown into fine young men, off to college or jobs to make their way in the world.

On the other side of the spectrum were the girls, often much taller and more mature than the boys. They often sat in class watching the opposite sex behave with a combination of smugness and scorn. Lots of eye rolling and head tossing occurred as the two groups interacted. Trelawney was different. She loved to read and was a serious English student. Well trained in England in class behavior, she knew how to sit quietly and was well focused. Mrs. Fountain had heard of her strength in English and had originally looked forward to teaching her.

While she was well schooled in British literature, she knew very little about American literature, which was the basis of the seventh grade curriculum. Louisa May Alcott was a favorite among the girls, so Mrs. Fountain could not ascertain what the problem was when she constantly asked to leave the room. The girl, despite her warnings to return quickly from the water fountain or restroom or whatever other excuse she made to get out of class, would still stay out for as much as twenty minutes at a time. Tuesday had been a rough day. For whatever reason, the boys were acting up more than usual and when Trelawney returned late as usual she lost her temper.

"What took you so long?" she asked harshly.

Trelawney shrugged and said, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Fountain. I must have lost track of time."

"In the bathroom?" Mrs. Fountain asked sarcastically, not realizing how this would sound to the other children

"What happened, Trelawney?" called out one of the boys. "Did you fall in?"

Trelawney hung her head. Mrs. Fountain, now realizing where such a remark could head, snapped, "One more comment like that and it will be detention for the one who opens his mouth."

Having silenced the class, she looked back to Trelawney who was standing before her very straight, with her hands neatly folded in front of her, and her head bowed.

"Young lady, this is the last time that you will be permitted to leave the room during class. Make sure that you get all of your business done before you get to class from now on. I will not tolerate this kind of disruption on a daily basis," she scolded, her voice increasing in volume to the point where the poor girl was cowering when she finished.

"I am very sorry, Mrs. Fountain," she said sincerely. "I had no intention of disrupting the class."

Afraid that she might waste more of her time trying to justify herself, Mrs. Fountain ordered her to sit down immediately. Now completely chastened, the child said politely, "Yes, ma'am."

Trelawney sat down and opened her book. She then fixed her eyes on Mrs. Fountain as she began to teach again. Her friend Sarah tried in vain to catch her eye so that she could throw her a look of sympathy, but Mrs. Fountain noticed and gave her "the look" that said, "one more time and you'll be in detention."

After class, Trelawney packed up her things and flew out the door. Sarah tried to approach her to explain, but Mrs. Fountain was in no mood. With a sternness that quickly ended the conversation, she said, "Mind your own business" and went off to lunch. Sarah went to find Trelawney so that she could put he arm around her and comfort her. She knew the story of Trelawney's family tragedy and how she had been orphaned less than a year ago. Raised in a Christian home where she was taught that one reached out to those in need, she knew of no other way to respond. She also knew that Francine, who was Trelawney's best friend in the whole world, would need to know.

Since Pastor Jason had been able to help him contact the Tuckers, Hal was able to get the first hand account of the story from Sarah for himself. He liked Sarah because she was a down-to-earth, thoughtful kid like her brother. The Tuckers also knew Mrs. Fountain from their older children and were able to give him some background before he went in for his conference. Because of their teaching schedules, it had to be before school so there was no way of hiding it from Trelawney. However, she was relieved.

"My gallant knight is coming to my rescue again," she said when he told her. She put her arms around the neck and he hugged her. Giving her a kiss in the forehead, he answered, "I'll do my best to slay the dragon."

However she looked back at him with serious eyes, and said, "I do not think of Mrs. Fountain as a dragon. She is more like a Gorgon."

When he told Phoebe about the remark she was amused.

"Well, just as long as she doesn't turn you to stone, I'll let you go off to do battle."

"Don't worry," he said as he gathered her in his arms. "I will always come home to my fair maiden."

Grateful that once again he was protecting her sister, Phoebe obliged his unspoken request for a few passionate kisses. Inwardly smiling to herself, she thought of how easily he took payment for his favors.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

After sitting with Mrs. Fountain in the guidance office for only a few minutes, he was beginning to think that the dragon reference was more apt than the Gorgon. Clearly annoyed that she was called into school early, the woman seemed to be breathing fire, if only figuratively, as she sat down with him and Mr. Preston. She was immediately defensive of her behavior.

"Professor Everett, have you ever tried to manage a class of twenty-four seventh graders? If they were all constantly popping up and down to leave the room and then taking as long as they pleased, the whole school would be in an uproar," she declared as her opening salvo.

"I am not here to talk about the whole class, only about my own ward, Trelawney," he replied, trying to be reasonable while reminding her of his custodial relationship with the girl. "Did you ask her why she wanted to leave the room?"

"She made her excuses," replied Mrs. Fountain, still on the defensive. "There was nothing more to ask."

Professor Everett looked at Mr. Preston, who knew the full story of Trelawney's background. It suddenly occurred to him that this whole mess was unnecessary. If Mrs. Fountain had been given this information, then she might have been more understanding. In fact, after his own conversation with Mr. Preston there was no reason why he couldn't have clued in Mrs. Fountain and avoided this meeting, which was clearly antagonizing her even more.

He also wasn't sure of what to say. He was sure that any comment he made would be met with the suggestion that a university professor whose classes were filled with men and women in graduate school was in no position to tell a seventh grade teacher how to run her class. He began to realize that from her perspective, it was not an issue even of the book. However, it was clear that he was going to get no help from Mr. Preston, so he pressed on.

"It has been less than a year since Trelawney has lost both of her parents in a car accident. She is now living with my family because her sister is my housekeeper and I opened my home to her. She finds the book in question very difficult to read, especially the scenes with the mother. I believe that it is during those discussions that she is excusing herself from class," he said calmly.

"Well I don't know why I wasn't informed about this," she said looking directly at Mr. Preston, who looked away. "However, I would like to point out to you that we will be reading other books this year which have family as the central theme. We cannot rewrite the whole seventh grade English curriculum because of the sensibilities of one child."

Professor Everett could feel his temper starting to rise. Mr. Preston also must have realized it because he spoke up for the first time, "Now I don't think that Professor Everett so suggesting that we rewrite the whole curriculum. But perhaps we could show a little bit more sensitivity to the girl's feelings."

Mrs. Fountain was silent. This was not an unreasonable request. If someone had warned her, she could have avoided this scene to begin with. However, she felt caught in the middle. With her heavy student load this year, she wasn't sure that she was prepared to deal with a student who would require this kind of attention. However to put an end to the conversation she said, "I will do my best with the class discussions. But that is all I can promise. Have you thought of getting the girl into counseling to help her deal with her grief?"

The Professor was annoyed by her reference to Trelawney as "the girl," which was also how Mr. Preston had chosen to name her. These two didn't seem to have any thought for her as a child with a name and a story of her own. He decided that he would discuss it with Phoebe later.

"Yes, she has seen a counselor for her grief, but she has been through a very great shock. We will speak with her at home about towing the mark, but if you could just cut her a little bit of slack, I would appreciate it," he said.

Mrs. Fountain looked back at him with skepticism, so he made one last try.

"Trelawney is a voracious reader and has always loved English class. Because she reads deeply, she is extremely sensitive to what she reads and is also very insightful. If you give her a chance, I believe that you will be surprised by how hard she will work for you and how well she will respond to your own insights. The Tuckers have told me what a great job you did teaching their three older children to write. I know that, give a chance, Trelawney will do her best to rise to your challenging standards," he explained.

Somewhat mollified by his flattery, Mrs. Fountain repeated her statement that she would do her best and excused herself to prepare for her first class. After she had left,

Mr. Preston turned to him and said,

"See, that all worked out well. I told you that there was nothing to worry about!"

He shook his hand and walked out before the Professor could respond. Shaking his head, he went out to car wondering if he and Mr. Preston had just sat in the same meeting together.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Since the Professor had taken over Trelawney's issue, Nanny had decided to deal with the problem of Butch. She decided that it would be helpful if she spent a little time alone with him. As the middle child he was usually caught between the attention that Hal got for his academic achievements and that which Prudence got for being the youngest, and certainly the most needy.

Butch had gained a good deal of confidence that summer by his accomplishments as a Little Pitcher and then his work on the building project. He and young Tim Lenihan had stood out as the youngest, but often the most productive on the worksite. The older kids referred to them as "Tom and Huck" after Mark Twain's two famous characters. However, once school started, he was back in the classroom, which was not his most comfortable environment to begin with, and with their busy schedules, he now saw very little of Tim.

Things had not started off well with his new teacher, Mrs. Oliver. Having been warned by their previous teacher, Mrs. Clement, about their rambunctious tendencies, Butch and his best friend Martin had been both seated in the front, albeit opposite sides of the room. However, Butch was already familiar with the role of "marked man," since his troublemaking issues went as far back as kindergarten. There was something about Mrs. Oliver that made him hostile.

So on Prudence's Brownie Scout day, she picked both of them up at school, dropped Prudence off at her meeting, and took Butch out for ice cream. Butch was suspicious of the extra attention.

"What did I do wrong?" he asked after they had ordered.

"Why nothing," she said. "What makes you think that you did something wrong? Did you do something wrong?"

He thought about it for a moment, searching his mind for any errant behavior over the past few days, and said, "I guess not."

As he ate his ice cream he started to relax. The two things that could always lift his spirits were some kind of a treat and time alone with Nanny. Time alone with his Dad was okay too, but Nanny always made him feel special. He felt like his Dad was always comparing him to Hal.

"You know, Nanny," he said. "I really miss all the friends I made this summer. It seems like none of then go to Franklin."

"Is there any one special friend that you miss?" she asked.

"Yeah," he answered right away. "Tim. It was kind of cool how all the big kids called us Tom and Huck out on the worksite. Nobody at Franklin knows anything about that. And none of them care about Little League."

"What about Martin? Isn't he your best friend?" she asked.

"Well, yeah, my best friend at Franklin anyway," he said. "But he says that I was just a relief pitcher, not even a starter."

"Was he on a Little League team this summer?" asked Nanny.

"Naw, he got cut. He's an outfielder. There's lots of outfielders," replied Butch.

"But not many relief pitchers, how saves did you have?"

"Eleven," answered Butch.

"How many losses?"

"Well, none that I lost . . . Hey! Are you trying to make me feel better or something?"

Nanny just smiled at him. It made him feel good inside. She was always trying to make them feel better. He smiled back a little shyly.

"Nanny?" he said tentatively.

"Yes?" she said, leaving the door open for him to ask his question.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" he was still tentative.

"Well, I hope it's not too personal. Why don't you try me out?" she asked, already knowing what the question was.

"When are you and Dad going to get married?"

"Well, Butch," she said carefully. "At the moment it's really up to your father. It's the man who asks the woman."

"What about Mrs. Oliver?" he asked.

"What about her?" asked Nanny, now becoming wary.

"Well, she said that she asked her husband. She said that women today can take control of their lives and if they want to marry someone, they don't have to wait," he replied.

Nanny knew that she had to be careful with her answer. She didn't want Butch to think that she was criticizing Mrs. Oliver, however she did find the woman a bit pushy. On the other hand, she also had no intention of letting Butch think that she would ever ask his father to marry her.

"Well, Butch," she said. "These days I think that it is safe to say that there are old-fashioned girls and new-fashioned girls. Why don't we just leave it that I'm an old-fashioned girl. I want your father to ask me, even if it does take him a little longer."

"I wish that he would ask you already," he said with a sigh.

"Why is that?" she asked curiously.

"Well, I think that Mrs. Oliver is going to drive me crazy until he does. Every day she asks me if you have a ring yet, and I'm tired of saying no," he answered reluctantly. He didn't want Nanny to feel bad because she didn't have her ring yet.

Nanny was looking at him with a funny look on her face. It was hard to tell if she was mad or sad or something in between.

"Nanny," he said fearfully. "I hope that you're not feeling bad. You know it's not just Mrs.

Oliver. Everyone is always asking Dad when he's going to give you a ring. I think that it's starting to make him mad."

"Well, Butch," said Nanny. "Sometimes people like to talk about other people behind their backs. Spread gossip and such. It's no one else's business when your father gives me a ring and we get married, except for ours."

Butch was not a demonstrative child, but he leaned over and gave Nanny a hug. He looked at her very seriously.

"I just want you to know that I already love you like a Mom. And when you are my Mom, I'll make sure that everyone knows it," he added.

"Why is that?" she asked, now a little puzzled.

"So they won't ask me weird questions about you and Dad," he replied, matter of factly.

In spite of herself, Nanny turned pink. She had no idea of what kind of questions that Mrs. Oliver, or whoever else, had asked him. She didn't want to ask him, since he seemed to be feeling better. But she was disturbed.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Later that night after the children were all in bed, Hal and Phoebe sat up in the living room. Hal told her about the disturbing conference he had had with Mr. Preston and Mrs. Fountain. He was frustrated because there seemed to be no recourse. The principal refused to listen to his concerns, referring him back to Mr. Preston. Phoebe could see that he was already bothered, but she knew that she had to tell him about her conversation with Butch.

In order to keep his temper in check, she tried to hide her own hurt feelings, but he knew too well how her mind worked. He saw through her attempts right away. Before he became angry, he was concerned. Then he was angry.

"Well I know that we can put a stop to that right away," he declared. "One call to Mrs. Harper should do it."

Phoebe winced. She knew how Mrs. Harper hated gossip in her school. She might not be very happy with Mrs. Oliver, but she didn't want to see her get in trouble and possibly lose her job. Hal was angry enough however, between Trelawney's situation and Butch's, to raise a pretty big fuss.

"Please, Hall," she begged. "Don't start anything that will only add more grist to the gossip mill."

He knew that she was right, but he still wanted to protect her. Those who knew them best had no questions about their relationship. But he was also concerned about the effect that this was having on Butch. Butch didn't even completely understand the innuendos that were no doubt being made. At least he hoped that he didn't. Between Hal's mountains of homework and now Butch's confusion about his relationship with Phoebe, he was starting to wish that the Olivers had never come to town.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Chapter 3: The Angel**

Unable to bear the pressure of Butch's and Trelawney's different issues, each of which had a different effect on herself, Nanny decided to go and have a chat with Pastor Jason. Although he was a pastor of a different Christian denomination than her own, she saw him as a kind and understanding man. His deep Christian faith was certainly aligned with her view of the world and his background in counseling meant that she could trust him to keep confidences. Thus on Friday morning she went to see him at Trinity Church.

"Hello, Phoebe," he said, in greeting. "I believe that you've been having a tough week."

Sitting down with a sigh, she answered, "You might say that."

He smiled gently, not his usual broad grin, but said seriously, "I believe that you are so used to evading direct questions, that these kind of hedging statements are just an ingrained part of your speech patterns. Within ten minutes, you're going to tell me enough to let me figure out that you are having a tough week. Why can't you just say it up front?"

He was looking at her directly in the eye. So she said, "I'm having a rough week. Trelawney and Butch are both going through a difficult patch at school with things that are difficult for me to deal with too."

"Why don't you let Hal handle it?" he asked simply.

"Well, he started to deal with Trelawney's problem," said Phoebe. "But he lost his patience pretty quickly."

"Is that a tactful way of saying that he lost his temper?"

"I'm afraid so. He's seeing the side of public education in this country that he's been able to ignore so far. He doesn't like it much," she admitted.

"Well, since we're already talking about Trelawney, why don't we stick with her for now," he said as he settled into his chair. "I can see how she and the American public education system would not be a good match. But it's also hard for me to see how can really fit into any educational structure, outside her village school."

Phoebe watched him carefully as she listened. She began to realize that Pastor Jason was not all that he seemed to be. Understanding, he nodded and said, "It's okay. You can say it. It's taken you longer than Trelawney to figure it out."

"Trelawney has spent more time with you. I believe that she would also be much more 'sensitive,' shall we say, to the differences. Before she moved here, she led a very sheltered Iife," she said.

"She also knew it because I was sent for her. As you know, one never knows why the spirit moves one to go from place to place. I was sent here a few years before Trelawney came. I knew that she was coming, but I didn't know who she was," he explained.

"I obviously want to talk about my sister," said Phoebe. "But I have to ask. Is yours a . . .?"

"Mixed marriage?" he said, finishing her question. "Yes it is. The choice was not popular with my family, but they had to accept it. It was our destiny."

"And you have two children," she said softly.

"Yes, and they were fated to be," he said just as softly. "But all children are a miracle and a blessing, fated or not. You never do know which, until it happens. But when you look into the eyes of your newborn child, you will know."

"And not before?" she asked.

"No," he said firmly. "But to stay on the subject of fate, you would not be permitted to keep Trelawney with you, unless I was here. Hal could have taken legal recourse to keep her, but as you know, it would have been a losing battle. There would have been a series of coincidences and incredible events that would have sent her back home. Remember that I didn't come into your lives until after your aunts left."

"Then you know about that," she said.

"I know about everything," explained Pastor Jason. " Her gifts are too powerful. Her nature is too impulsive. You would not be able to give her the guidance that she needs."

Phoebe thought this over. "Not even if I watched her closely? She and I are very close, you know."

"Phoebe," he replied shaking his head. "Soon you will not have the time to give her what she needs right now. Once you are married, you will cleave to your husband. That is how it should be. And you also know that there may others, who will take first place in your heart. That is only natural. When you cannot be there for her, and there will be those times, I will. I am settled here in my church. I love my work with the young people, in fact all the families here. Like you, I am trying to set the world to rights."

"One family at a time," she finished.

"Yes, one family, and one young person, at a time," he affirmed. "And there is a troubled little girl who needs to continue to face the light. I will be there for her."

Phoebe was silent for a moment and then said, "You are 'the angel.' I felt it that day. I knew that there could only be one."

Pastor Jason didn't answer, but she knew. She could feel the burden being lifted from her shoulders. She looked up and he smiled at her. His aura was glowing with warmth and love. Trelawney was an orphan, but no longer an orphan. As she had said herself, she was a child of God. She was in God's care.

"Phoebe," said Pastor Jason, returning to a more business-like tone of voice. "I warned Hal that he would have to watch for 'pockets of sadness and grief' in each of you. Trelawney is in such a pocket right now. She needs your strength and your love. She also has Francine and Sarah to watch over her as her best friends. Sarah has told me about 'Little Women' and the melancholy. She is even more worried about what will happen when they reach the point in the story where Beth dies. It is no accident that Sarah is in her class. In fact, she is in all of Trelawney's classes that Francine is not. We would not leave her alone."

For a moment he stopped talking and was deep in thought. Finally he spoke again, "Phoebe, I know how strongly you feel about your own church, but I would like you to consider allowing Trelawney to come to our youth group meetings with Sarah."

"But Hal's science teacher is starting a youth group at St. Andrews," she protested weakly.

"Phoebe," he said gently. "Think hard about the situation that your family is caught up in, with that young couple. The youth group will work for Hal. He is grounded in a different reality than Trelawney. You also need to think about the situation with Butch."

She looked down at her hands. She was very self-conscious about this.

"I have not forgotten about Butch," he continued. "I know all about that. We will talk about him in a minute. But think about how Trelawney would feel if she knew."

That had not occurred to Phoebe. Allowing Trelawney to have any extended contact with Bonnie Oliver would be a bad idea. Who knew what she would say or do?

"I think that it would be a good idea if Trelawney came to your youth group with Sarah, but I still want her to come to Sunday service and Sunday school at St. Andrews," she decided.

"That's fine," said Pastor Jason. "Now let's talk about Butch and his teacher."

"Well, we seem to have the opposite problem with Butch," she said with a sigh.

"In what way?" he asked.

"Well, we can't get Trelawney's teacher to have enough interest to her," she said grimly. "And Butch's teacher is paying too much attention, if you understand what I am saying."

"I think that it is better put to say that the interest is in you and Hal, and she is making Butch feel uncomfortable," he replied.

"That's so," she admitted. "But I'm not sure that I want to know how you know that."

"Can we leave it that you don't want to know and address the issue?" he asked.

"Yes, that's probably a good idea. How can we get this woman to stay out of our lives and off his back?" she asked.

"That is easier than you think. Confront her," he said.

"Confront her?" said Phoebe dubiously.

"Sure, confront her," he repeated simply. "Evasion is a tactic that won't work with someone like this. The more you avoid her questions and insinuations, the more she'll think you have something to hide. You and Hal are in love and you have an understanding. You're also mature adults with very strong moral values. Anyone can see that you aren't going to bed together until your wedding night. That's who you are. Be proud of it."

"But why do I have to defend myself?" she asked feeling a bit of frustration.

"Think of it as defending your values against hers. Remember that you two come from two different perspectives in place and time. In her world, you fall in love. You go to bed with the other. If it doesn't work out, you move on to the next partner," he explained. "In your world, you fall in love, you commit your life to the other, and what you share is a sacred act, that belongs to the two of you exclusively. And then you pray that God blesses you with children."

Phoebe turned pink.

Pastor Jason smiled, "Do you know that you blush most charmingly whenever the subject of children comes up? It's a rare thing these days. The first time you become pregnant, it is a very definite message to the world that you and your husband share that sacred act. You are a very modest woman, even about something that is perfectly natural for a married couple to share. That's part of your beauty."

She shyly looked up and smiled.

"Another part of your beauty is how deeply you are in love with Hal. Personally, I think that he is crazy not to have gotten you that ring and set the date already. But I believe that he is waiting for the perfect moment," he said. His eyes were filled with amusement.

"It drives him crazy when people mention it," she said.

"Yes, and it puts more pressure on him, and it makes him want to make the moment and the ring even more perfect. You need to tell everyone to cool it. Give him some space, and he'll come around," he said.

But then with a devilish grin he said, "It might not hurt to give him a little nudge, a little incentive, if you know what I mean."

She knew what he meant and was shocked that a pastor would even suggest it. Seeing her reaction, Pastor Jason said, "There comes a time perfect needs to give way to progress. Hal's problem is that he is a perfectionist. He procrastinates because he is trying to make everything perfect. Sometimes the only way to deal with this kind of procrastinator is to give him a deadline. In this case, I think that the only way to shake him up is to raise the stakes, shall we say. He needs to see that marriage to you is his most important priority. In the end he will be a much happier man for it. When the time is right, you will know. And I promise you, there will be no regrets."

"Are you saying that as a pastor?" she asked seriously. "There will be no regrets?"

"No, I do not say this as a pastor," he said gently. "But perhaps 'regrets' is the wrong word. You will not be faced with a situation that will lead to more rumor and innuendo. I promise you."

He looked deeply into her eyes. He wanted her to fully understand what she needed to know, but what he could not say. As her initial shock gave way to realization, she nodded. She knew in her heart that Hal would not give up his quest for the perfect ring, the perfect moment unless she took action. Ironically, now the Pastor Jason was giving her his blessing, she began to feel afraid.

"Look towards the light, Phoebe," he said softly. "Look towards the light and let it guide you home. You have nothing to fear. Trust in the love that you share with the man that you were born to marry. Trust in your destiny."

He then placed his hands on her head in the same gesture of healing and blessing that he had given Trelawney before she faced the light and turned from the darkness. She recognized the hand of God, present in his man who had been sent as a guide, as a wisdom figure, to help her finish her journey towards the light.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

When she left his office, she went home and quietly went about her daily business. In her mind, she replayed his words over and over. She realized that more she thought about them, the more she understood them. The path was clear. There should be no more obstacles. Pastor Jason said that he was there for Trelawney, but she knew that he was there for her as well. Angels are never exclusive.

Hal came home late that night. His department chair had called an emergency meeting to deal with a flagrant issue of cheating with two of the top graduate students. There were many strong opinions about what should be done and the chair was determined that they would not leave until a resolution was made.

The meeting had been especially painful for Hall, because one of those young men was an advisee whom he had greatly trusted. When he came home he was weary in body and soul. Phoebe could feel his heartache for the trust that had been broken and then the decision to expel both from the university. Essentially, their academic careers were over.

She offered him dinner, which he refused. He wanted only one thing, to lie within the comfort of her embrace. And so she held him, and stroked his hair, and kissed his forehead. These were all gestures with which he had been soothing her for months. He wanted, in fact he needed, no words. So she willed her love into him and renewed his strength with her own. Their time together was silent, but they needed nothing but their own feelings and thoughts to communicate. In their hearts they realized that their love was perfect. In the depths of that night, they rediscovered that light within each other that would always guide them home.

When they parted that night, Phoebe went to her own bedroom, to contemplate how she might move their lives towards the final point of resolution, the point that would allow them to step into their future. Right now they were caught between their past and future lives, stuck in the present, immobilized by an ideal of an impossible perfection.

Hal Everett, still radiating with the warmth of her love, renewed his determination to find the perfect ring and the perfect moment in which to slip it on her finger. Unfortunately, even though he knew how much he wanted to move forward, he would have to dragged "kicking and screaming," so to speak, from his own inertia. It never occurred to him that the wait would eventually create a situation where perfection would end up being his last consideration.

**The End**


End file.
